The Boy I Love
by Eliza Darling
Summary: Slightly AU. Set between seasons 1&2. She wanted so badly to tell him she loved him, even if she knew she would face rejection. One-sided Yusei/Luca.


**Yo! Maggie here! This is my first attempt at a 5D's story/oneshot. Be nice, 'kay? (though constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! I need all the help I can get, since I'm so new to 5D's... ^^;) I'm actually writing this for extra credit in English, which is why I have all the explanations to what's happening in the story.**

**A/N: Slightly AU. Time frame: somewhere between seasons 1 and 2. This would probably happen if Yusei and the others took it easy for, like, a month or two and just hid from society from a bit.**

**Enjoy! **

"The Boy I Love"

_Grow up, Luca_, I told myself for the _nth_ time. _He'll never like you. Not like that._

I sighed. It was true. Yusei Fudo was never going to like me.

Cobalt eyes struck my heart, smashing it into a million pieces. It's what love does.

But look at him. He never smiles around anyone but me and my twin brother Lua. It may seem like a good thing, but it makes me feel more adolescent than ever. He smiles just because we're children; because we've barely started understanding any of this roller coaster that we've boarded. It's to make us feel safer, more secure. But it makes me feel more uncomfortable around him than I already am. I blushed. Hard.

A smirk escaped his lips. Great. Kill me even more, why don't you?

I want to tell him how I feel. How much I like him. But he'd laugh it off. I'm only a child, after all. I'd then be nothing but a joke to him. The small dignity I had left would be gone, crushed, broken. I wouldn't risk it.

Oh, joy, he was walking over. This would _really_ make my day. I turned around, trying to refuse to make eye contact.

My eyes deceived me yet again. It was a losing battle between sapphire and amber, the blue gem winning, of course. I wanted to frown, but I… couldn't. It was like some magical force was keeping me from being mad at him (no pun intended).

Imaginative past thoughts ran through my head, like the time I knew for _sure_ I liked him.

Everyone was out. Again. And I was stuck with only Yusei for company. Again. Oh, why did I insist on staying? It was so boring, just _sitting_ there with nothing to do.

To make matters worse, the sun was scorching outside. Why do bad things always happen to me?

I remember wiping my forehead for the billionth time. Being in the same room as a motorcycle can make the temperature seem a thousand degrees hotter than it already is. Even though I was wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts, I was on fire.

His lean muscles bulged as he wiped his forehead with a dirty, greasy rag. He turned to face me, another smile on his face.

I couldn't help but blush. Wait, why was it getting even _hotter_ in here? Why was it so hard to breathe? I didn't have those types of feelings for Yusei! Or did I? I melted, and it wasn't the heat that did it.

"Holding in fine, Luca?" he asked, panting.

"It's so hot," I put in, fanning myself.

"I know," he agreed, patting me on the shoulder. "But I promise, as soon as I get the D-Wheel going again, I'll let you ride with me. The cold wind'll get you cooler in no time."

I barely paid attention to what he had just said. Instead, I thought to myself, why was I acting so weird? I never felt this way around Yusei, and now, all of a sudden, I felt I would faint if he _touched_ me! What was going on?

I blushed. Me ride with Yusei? Was it possible? "Can you… do that?" I questioned quietly.

"Sure." He shrugged. "Just let me fix a couple of things, and we're good to go."

The crescent-shaped crimson D-Wheel was Yusei's motorcycle, his baby, his love. He told me Jack Atlus, his former friend, had stolen his old D-Wheel from him some two years ago, back when he lived is Satellite.

Satellite was the run-down dumpster in the outskirts of Neo Domino City, where I lived. While Neo had its tall skyscrapers and rich boutiques, Satellite was full of garbage and scrap metal, what Yusei used to make his new D-Wheel (not the garbage part, I mean).

The thought of being pressed so closely to him drove me crazy. I thought I might faint right then and there.

I realize now that if it weren't for that D-Wheel, I'd probably think Yusei was some sort of monster who just wanted to hurt me, or worse. Now that I know him much better, I think he's a chance for me to believe in myself through whatever we go through.

Then, as luck would have it, he quickly stripped out of his shirt. Just great. It was like I wasn't there at all. He didn't care whether I was looking at him or not. He was just scorching apparently, and needed to cool down.

Okay, this pushed it _way_ over the edge. Seeing Yusei without a shirt was like being salivated by God—_sensational_. It was too obvious—I was in love with Yusei Fudo. And no denying thought could convince me otherwise.

I examined how his shoulder blades moved gracefully as he tampered with the screws and blots of his bike. My eyes, moving with a mind of their own, trailed down his tanned back. I realized that because he wasn't wearing a belt, I could see he _boxers_. Oh my _God_, it was so hard to look away then. My eyes stayed wide, focused on his lower back, unable to move. "Oh…" I whispered.

Quickly, he turned. I turned bright crimson and shook my head. But now, I couldn't take my eyes off the sight in front of me. Of course, he had a very handsome face, complete with lustful, deep sapphire eyes, and was marked with a gold Marker in a cool design down his cheek to identify that he had been arrested. His neck was so masculine, the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down while he talked, how the neck veins stood out, but this, _this_… I couldn't believe how _good_ he looked. He was tan _everywhere_, his broad shoulders, his Pecs… and those _abs_. He was so muscular, like a _Greek god_. It was driving me insane, not to mention the fact that he was only wearing ratty jeans that were torn at the knees and the hem at the cuffs. Like me, he was also barefoot due to the extreme weather.

"You say something, Luca?" he asked, smile plastered to his face, running a greased hand through his perfect black spiked hair.

"Uh… oh… I…" I stuttered idiotically. "I… was thinking of being back at Tops. I'd be swimming right now with Lua."

Tops was the exclusive building of lofts in Neo Domino City. Lua and I were lucky enough to live in the loft on the top floor, complete with a balcony and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

But now we (Me, Yusei, Lua, Saiga, an ingenious computer hacker, and Yanagi and Himuro, Yusei's jail friends) were taking cover in Saiga's place to escape Security. Neo Domino City refused to let citizens from Satellite or people that had been arrested to live there, and Yusei was already arrested once for trespassing without a permit. Hiding was his only option now.

As much as I wanted to be with Yusei, at the moment, Tops seemed like Heaven. It had access to sunbathing and AC if it got too hot. And Saiga's place? Not a swimming pool for a mile and not a trace of even a fan. Even with all the windows open, I thought I would catch flame.

Yusei nodded. "Sounds like fun. Hey, Luca, could you hand me that screwdriver on the stool next to you?"

"Magic word," I teased, smiling back now.

"_Please_ hand me the screwdriver," he replied, leaning over and ruffling my hair.

It's weird. Around everyone else, Yusei is a serious, firm, competitive person whom I've never seen joke around. But around Lua and me, he acts so… different. To us, he's nice and sweet and is _always_ smiling. It makes me suspicious, but I'm one hundred percent sure he doesn't like me like that, not at all. He's just being nice to me after all we've been through.

Yet I felt so bonded with him. The claw-shaped Mark on my right arm was similar to the face-shaped one on his. As much as I hated the Mark, it made me feel closer to him, like a special pact or bond that only a very select few could have.

Normally, I would never associate with someone like Yusei, but fate had different plans for us. He and I are two of the five Signers, the five people destined to save the earth from imminent doom, or something like that. The Marks on our right arms are the way to identifywhat we are. So far, four of the five Signers have been found: me, Yusei, Jack Atlus, and Aki Izayoi, a red-haired psychic girl. I liked the face that I wasn't the only girl Signer, and the fact that Yusei was in the same situation, but being the _youngest_ Signer was an entirely different story. I'm only twelve, and not fully grown yet. Aki is seventeen, and she's the next youngest Signer. That's a five-year difference, so of course I felt distant. Yusei is eighteen, and I keep forgetting whether Jack is nineteen or twenty. Aki, Yusei, and Jack were so brave, but me… I felt like I was cowardly, like I didn't belong, and I _hated_ the responsibility of knowing the fate of the world rested on my shoulders. But I guess with Yusei, I might make it.

I handed Yusei the flathead screwdriver, blushing and smiling like a giddy schoolgirl.

"Thank you, Luca, he said, nodding and returning to his work. I continued to swoon over him, loving and hating every second of it.

Yusei took me out of my memory by leaning down to my level. Even on his knees, he was taller than me, but only by a centimeter. Or two.

I gulped. "What's up?" I asked naively.

A smile escaped his lips. Did I mention we were alone? Again?

"Hey, I just realized," he started, putting his strong, gloved hands on my shoulders, "that I never took you on that ride I promised."

That's true, he never did. I blushed. "Oh," I said softly, shoulders slightly rising, "I was just thinking about that day." I just wasn't thinking about the riding part.

Don't get me wrong, I know he's _way_ older than me and I'm half his size. It's not like I fantasize romance scenes between us. I was not that absent-minded; I knew the difference between reality and fantasy. I just… like him. Like that. Maybe I like him even more, in a sense of _love_, or as the girls my age say it: "Head over heels", but I doubt it. A little.

Being this close to him at eye level was rare, and it was torturing me. I had a slight urge to press my lips against his, even if just for a second. If I did, it'd be my first kiss, and no matter what, it would be magical.

I still refused to, chickening out. There are many days where I'd rather be more like Lua, like today, unafraid and outgoing. Instead, I was plain old Luca, always scared and shy.

He eyed me with some interest. "You were? Well, I'm sorry for never fixing the D-Wheel that day. I really want to make it up to you. What do you say, Luca? Wanna go riding now?"

My eyes widened. "_Now_?" I repeated.

"I guess… but if you don't want to…"

I took a deep breath. "I'd love to go, Yusei." For some reason, it seemed like an honor just to say his name.

But the thought scared me. What if we crashed? What if I fainted? A worried look escaped my face and my heart beat so loudly I was sure there was no definite rhythm to it.

He saw my reaction. "Are you sure?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I could have said no. I could have refused his offer. But I saw his eyes boring into mine and I couldn't find the heart to say such a negative word, so I said, "Yes."

Another smile. "Great." He handed me _his_ crimson helmet. "This is my only helmet," he explained. "It'd be better if you wore it."  
I could wear his helmet? I positively glowed.

But then I thought more about what we were doing.

"Yusei…" I started, starting at the hard, red object in my hands, "isn't it illegal to ride a D-Wheel without a helmet? And what about Security? What if they see me with you? What if you're arrested again?"

He shrugged, seeming unaffected on what I had just said. "Don't worry Luca, we won't go far." He took my hand and led me to where he had parked his D-Wheel.

The red crescent stood before me majestically and boldly. I shyly put the large helmet on.

He laughed and kneeled next to me. "Sorry it's so big," he said, "but I couldn't risk your safety."

"But what about you?" I asked worriedly. "Don't you care about _your_ safety?"

"No, not as much as yours."

He cared? I blushed under the helmet.

He pushed a button and the eye shield slid down. I gasped. "Oh… um, I wasn't expecting that." I let out a small giggle.

When I looked up, he had lifter the arm of the bike and had climbed in. "You're in front, Luca," he said, patting the space in front of him. I couldn't believe it. I was going on a motorcycle ride with Yusei Fudo!

Quickly, I climbed in front, unsure of what to do after.

Yusei lowered the arm, securing us in. "Okay, Luca," he said, "put your hand where those handles are at the end of each arm."

I reached forward, but couldn't quite make it. "I… I can't. I'm not tall enough. And if I lean too far forward, my feet can't reach the foot holders," I explained lamely.

He nodded. It's okay," he replied. "Lean forward anyway."

I did so and placed my hands around the handles. "_Now_ I'm not so sure about this," I said with worry.

"You'll be fine, Luca," he said with a slight chuckle. Then I felt his waist against mine, and his strong, protective left arm around my lower abdomen. I froze, flushing full on crimson.

What made it worse was that his right hand enclosed around mine over the handle. I took shallow breaths and my body slightly shook. I couldn't believe I was so close to him, closer than I had ever been before.

But I was still uncertain for _my_ safety. This was getting more and more dangerous by the second, and we had yet to go anywhere! "Yusei, I'm still not sure," I said. "I think I'm too small to ride _your_ bike."

Then he did it.

He slightly hoisted me up, leaned forward, and _placed me on his lap_.

OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod, I thought, eyes forward and wide, heart pounding. I couldn't believe it. His arm was still around me and his hand was still on mine. I've never been so… _intimate_ with him, and suddenly, he decides to let me sit on his _lap_, like when Lua and I would take pictures with Santa around Christmas when we were younger. But this was nothing like that. I was barely conscious and could barely comprehend what was going on. This is _so_ not what a girl who has a crush on him needs. It really isn't.

"You worry too much, Luca," he said. "Trust me, you'll be alright."

"You're… you're not gonna do anything _crazy_, like jumping or one-wheeling or anything, right Yusei?" I asked. I sure hoped not.

"Of course not," he answered, sounding more like "duh". "I'd never, not with anyone else with me."

"I… oh. Okay."

"You ready?" he asked, starting the engine. It purred, and my heart stopped.

I couldn't get anything to come out of my mouth, so I simply nodded.

"Okay!" he yelled over the roar.

And then we were off. I had never gone so fast before in my life, and it was exhilarating. The wind brushed my face, and speed was in control of my life. Street after street, turn after turn, we went so fast (over 100 kilometers per hour, I think!) I couldn't see where we were going, and it wasn't my lack of height that did it. My eyes were wide and trying to focus, but my mind was unable to process what my I was seeing.

"Close your eyes!" Yusei cried to me. "And you'll feel like you're flying!"

Of course, I did what he asked. I was sitting, but soaring. My mind cleared, and I could tell it for sure… I _was_ flying.

It felt so amazing. The wind blowing around me seemed to have a _meaning_ of some sort. I wanted to fling off Yusei's helmet, but I refrained for my safety. Instead I imagined what it would be like to have my hair whipping around my head. I thought it to be the most magical feeling ever.

The ride ended too soon. I wanted to keep going forever, Yusei holding onto me.

I needed to thank him. I desperately wanted to tell him that he woke me, made me feel alive for the first time in my twelve-year-old life.

Once we were both off the D-Wheel, he leaned down next to me. I blushed and handed him his helmet after I took it off.

"Thank you, Yusei," I said softly. "For everything. That was amazing." And then I did the craziest thing. I leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, right on his golden Marker.

He smiled and said, "I take it you had fun."

I nodded. "A _lot_. Thank you again." All my "thank yous" seemed meaningless, so I kept saying it.

He laughed. "Luca, you don't have to quit thanking me," he said.

"Oh, but I do!" I argued. "This is the first time you've had another person with you, and I had such a great time!" I kept blushing and smiling.

He looked serious now, stern, how he usually looked around Jack or Aki. "Luca," he said firmly, "I need to ask you a serious question." He placed his hands on my shoulders again so I wouldn't move.

The smiling ceased, but the blush on my cheeks only bloomed. I gulped. "What is it?" I asked, my voice dropping in volume, only audible for the two of us to hear.

He sighed. "Asking you if you liked me would only result in a lie."

What? He knew I liked him! I kept my eyes wide. "You… you _know_?" I asked in disbelief, embarrassed. And I thought it wasn't that easy to tell! What a fool I am.

He nodded and sighed again.

"H-how? I-I know, I really tried to keep it n-non… _cha_lant"—I struggled on that word—"but I guess you're just—"

"Purely on accident," he interrupted. "I caught you staring at me in the reflection from the screen on the D-Wheel while I was fixing it that day it was really hot outside." Smooth move, Luca. Way to be obvious _and_ stupid.

As always, I blushed. "Oh… um... I… uh…. Oh… God, I'm… _so_ sorry, Yusei! I-I was just… being s-stupid. I know… you're never gonna like me back… well not like _that_ anyway. I bet you feel so… _awkward_ around me now… huh?"

"No," he simply answered, shaking his head. "Anyway… what I want to know is _how_ much."

"How much I… like you? Like that?" I could barely get my voice over a decibel.

Again, he nodded.

"I-I… I'm not certain," I softly answered. "It's a lot… but… I can't tell… if it's…" I struggled to find the last word; it was so powerful,"… _love_. And I… I know it sounds so… _mature_ for someone as young as me to say that, but honestly Yusei, if you could see it… through _my_ eyes… you know it could be possible."

Though his face was moving, I knew he was trying to process what I had just said. I slightly shook under his hold on me, afraid of how he would respond.

After an what seemed like an eternity of silence, he said, "I know why this is such a big deal to you, Luca."

"Y-you do?" I asked.

He nodded. "It's because this is your first crush. You're unsure of what to feel, what you're supposed to do. And since I happen to be much older than you, you happen to feel somewhat awkward and guilty to like me. It's the first time you want a certain boy to like you, to hold hands with, or maybe even kiss… that sort of thing."

Wow. He was right on about how I was feeling. "Yusei, how do you _know_ all of this?"

He sighed, looked down for a moment, and then his blue eyes met me again. "As crazy as it sounds to you, Luca, _I_ was in the situation you're in now. When I was your age, I liked a girl way older than me. I knew an actual relationship would never work out, but I couldn't help liking her. You're not the only one, Luca. There are many more like you."

I was in disbelief. Yusei in my situation?

"I… I… I… wow" was all I could say. How logical.

He chuckled. "And to think, I was so desperate to kiss her," he said, almost to himself. "It would have been my first one, if I had done it at the time."

"I've never had a first kiss before," I admitted, blushing again. "It must be nice, you know. If you do it with someone you like."

"It is," he replied, smiling again.

I looked down awkwardly. "I know we'll never be more than friends. I've already accepted that. What killed me was never picking up the courage to tell you how I felt."

"What do you mean, '_just friends_'?" he asked, like he couldn't believe it. "As long as the universe exists, we will always be more than friends."

"We—we will?" I perked up.

Instead of answering, he pulled me toward him… and then he _kissed_ me!!! On the lips!!! I was so shocked I couldn't make any movement, not in my heart, not in my lungs, or even the shaking of my body as it was one second ago pre-kiss. But I still couldn't believe it. _Yusei Fudo was kissing me_!!!!! Was I dreaming? I couldn't tell.

Though the kiss only lasted about two seconds, it seemed to go in slow motion. He tasted and smelled musky but sweet, how I imagined someone like him _should_ taste and smell. He had soft, kind, gentile lips that went against mine with care. The kiss didn't say anything like "I love you", but I could tell he certainly didn't resent it. I wanted to faint, but his strong hands on my shoulders wouldn't let me. So there I was, looking like a total dork with flushed cheeks and a lovesick, flabbergasted look on my face, complete with a slightly open mouth, all in front of my crush. But I was still so confused and in shock that moving wasn't an option.

He eyed me with worry. "Luca?" he asked. "Are… is everything okay?"

I shook my head, taking me out of my lethargic state of mind to simply answer him with another question: "Did you really just kiss me? On the _lips_?"

He nodded. "I figured, since my first kiss when I was your age wasn't with who I wanted it to be with, it doesn't mean you have to have the same fate."

It was so sweet, how he cared for me so much that he would actually _kiss_ me on the _lips_. But why?

"Yusei, why are you so nice to me?" I asked.

"Is it a crime to take care of the youngest Signer?"

"No, but what I'm asking is… why are you always smiling at _me_? And taking _me_ on special rides? That sort of thing, Yusei. Why me?"

Of course, he shrugged. "I guess it's because I've always wanted younger siblings I could take care of," he responded. "I know, I took care of Rally ((Rally, Yusei had told me, was a young boy around mine and Lua's age that lived in Satellite with him, and Yusei would care for him.)) when I was in Satellite, but now that I'm in Neo Domino City… I guess, I just… _feel_ I have to do just that. And after all we've gone through… c'mon, Luca, you _have_ to agree that we'd be more than just friends after everything that's happened so far… and what's _going_ to happen later."

All I could do was nod slowly, not really getting what he just said.

And then he sighed. "Okay," he said. "In short, you're like the little sister I never had."

I made a face. "So you just _kissed_ your little sister? On the _lips_? You know, if Lua ever did that to me, I'd be majorly pissed off."

"No! Not like _that_!" He buried his face in his hands. "This is going to take some logical explaining," he mumbled to himself.

"O-_kay_," he said again, rubbing his temples. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell Yusei was stressing out. The only reason why I didn't stop him and tell him it was okay if I didn't get his analyzation on our feelings for each other was because I had to admit, seeing him in this un-Yusei like confused state was pretty funny. A smirk and small giggle escaped from my mouth.

"_Okay_," he said for a third time, placing his hands on my shoulders again. "Technically, we're not related in the brother-sister way."

I nodded, trying to go with and understand his little speech to me.

"_But_," he continued, "that doesn't mean we're 'just friends'. We'll always be more than friends, but you won't _really_ be my little sister. But you're somewhat _like_ one to me."

"So I'm… _like_ a little sister to you?" I guessed.

"Exactly," he answered, making it sound more like, "_Finally_, you get it."

"And… would Lua be _like_ your little brother?"

"_Now_ you understand." He smiled.

I nodded again. "I think I'm going to like that, Yusei."

He gave me a quick hug. "I'm sure you will," he replied as he pulled away.

"Hey, Yusei! Luca! We're back!" cried Lua, announcing his arrival by running toward me. Yusei stood and ruffled my hair one last time before walking away to the next room. I blushed, like I always did.

"What's his problem?" Lua asked, raising an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "You're so nosy, Lua," I replied. "He's probably just tired and needs to rest." And my inference was probably true. I've never seen him sleep unless if he had been knocked out physically.

"So what'd you guys do?" Lua asked, changing the subject.

"Something secret," I answered, winking before walking off to the other guest room, adjascent to where Yusei had gone.

Yusei Fudo's Little Sister. I liked the ring of it. It may not have been Yusei Fudo's Girlfriend, but it would do just as great, if not, better.

~The End~


End file.
